Pancake stretch for climbing: how to do it

How to do it

Sit on the floor with your legs straight and spread as wide as is comfortable, toes pointing up. Sit tall, then lean forward from the hips with a flat back, walking your hands out in front of you until you feel a stretch in your inner thighs and hamstrings. Hold 45 seconds, sit up and relax for 15, and repeat 5 times. Sit on a cushion if your lower back rounds.

Who it's for

Anyone whose high steps stall halfway, and anyone who can only drop knee in one direction. Hip and adductor range is the limiter on a surprising number of steep moves, and unlike most things in this catalog it responds to low-effort, high-frequency work.

Common mistakes

Rounding the lower back. The hinge comes from the hips with a flat back. If your back rounds the moment you lean, sit on a cushion or a folded mat until it doesn't.
Letting the toes roll in. Toes point up, kneecaps up. Rolling the legs in makes the stretch feel deeper while doing less.
Bouncing. Hold still. The 45 seconds is what does the work.
Chasing the floor. How far forward you get matters much less than whether the position is held with a flat back and active legs.

How to progress

Widen the legs before you go lower, and add active work: press the legs down into the floor for five seconds, relax, then take the new range. Done three or four times a week this moves noticeably in a couple of months; done once a week it does nothing.

When it fits

The training periods this exercise fits into in Blok Sessions.

Base Lots of easy climbing, good movement and aerobic fitness.

Strength Stronger fingers and pulling, with weight you control.

Power Explosive moves, momentum and coordination.

Power Endurance Keep your power through one hard move after another.

Endurance Climb longer before you pump out, by moving efficiently.

Performance Peak for a trip or a comp: focus, reading problems, trying hard.

Deload Train less, let your fingers recover, keep moving.